The invention pertains to the field of direct dryers for industrial and commercial use, and in particular to a continuous flow fluid bed dryer. Such dryers are typically used for the drying of delicate free flowing products such as certain grains. Such grains tend to suffer degradation in dryers having rapidly moving mechanical parts that interact with the product. The fluid bed dryer typically has a drum or housing with a plenum region beneath a product drying region and separated from it by a porous screen. Heated air is introduced into the plenum. Particulate matter to be dried is "fluidized", that is it is suspended above the screen on the heated air rising through the screen. This produces a turbulent mixing action between the target product and the air resulting in the drying of the product without damage to it. The screen openings can be canopied to direct air flow and deter clogging of the screen openings. In such dryers the heated air flow is used both to dry the product and move it along the dryer to a discharge. The amount of air needed to fluidize the product is often greater that the amount of heated air needed to dry it. This results is wasted heat since the amount of heated air supplied is a function of the amount of air needed to fluidize the product.